Our bookshop shelves are filled with large and voluminous books on leadership and relatively few reads on followership. Followership is a willing consciousness to be under the influence of a leader. It is the ability to take direction well, get in line behind a programme, be a part of a team and deliver on what is expected of you. How well the follower follows is just as important as how well the leader leads. Impliedly, we can say, “Followership is a reflection of leadership”. Leaders represent the people they oversee. People reflect the leaders they follow.
The Message rendering of Proverbs Fourteen Twenty-four in the Holy Bible drives home the point: “The mark of a good leader is loyal followers; leadership is nothing without a following.” However, followership is never automatic. It is a response to influence [see I – INFLUENCE]. Truthfully, if people really understand the nitty-gritty of leadership, followership won’t be an issue. It poses a challenge on you as a leader, either the point man or team head, to emphasize the principles of leadership to your people, from time to time. Unfortunately, some campus leaders practically know nothing or little about the subject of leadership and its application. Never forget, Leadership is deliberate! If you’ve stumbled into your present office, determine never to make your successor slide into it [see S – SUCCESSION PLANNING].
To be candid, the head is not always correct. Leaders are not always effective. Needless to say, if nothing is right and no one is left, would you still follow? Before outlining the attributes of good followership, let’s delve into some leadership scenarios with seeming faults:
i. Defective Leadership. A leadership with empowered with full-fledged authority but many obvious pitfalls exist.
ii. Incapacitated Leadership. Mostly observed in delegated cases where the leader(s) in question is/are deprived of absolute authority and responsibility is not fully acknowledged.
iii. Immature Leadership. A leadership where succeeding leaders’ capacities are not commensurate to the desired outputs and such that priorities are wrongly placed.
iv. Incongruent Leadership. A leadership whose actions are not consistent with its stated core values or leadership creeds.
v. Egocentric Leadership. A leadership situation where the pride and personal (selfish) ambition of the top men is at the mercy of the organisation’s rank and file.
The question is, “Would you as a good and trusted follower exploit any of these leadership flaws if you find yourself in such a system?” It’s good for one to equip oneself for both leadership and followership skills. Rather than exploit weak leadership system, you’d be helping your followership skill if you do well to imbibe the following qualities:
1. Loyalty. Never be in a system you are not willing to be loyal to. Loyalty births a willing submission. To submit is not a weakness. Submission simply means ‘to come under’, ‘willingness to yield or surrender to somebody.’ It is a merge of two words: ‘sub-mission’ enjoining you to make your mission secondary. However, a key question to battle with also is this: “Is your loyalty first to the leader or the vision?” Under [see B – BUY-IN], we showed how the leader can make people buy into his/her leadership by first making them buy into his/her person. Your acceptance to join the organisation is largely influenced your assessment of its leadership. However, staying and remaining effective in the organisation should be marked by your unwavering loyalty and commitment to the vision [see D – DELEGATION].
2. Competence. Displaying high sense of responsibility and expertise to the task committed to you shows how much a good follower you are.
3. Honesty. Good followers are sincere with the leadership and its tools of influence or operations. Stay honest at all times.
4. Ego Management. Ego check from time to time helps you to put your pride in its appropriate level. ‘Pride’ does not always connote haughtiness or arrogance. It is only ignorance that tags self-confidence 'arrogance'. Knowing your worth and standing for what you believe in despite the compromising situation should not be misconstrued as pride. A lack of the knowledge of your self-worth exposes you to all kind of treatment from different persons. Ego is inbuilt in every man. Do well to manage it well. Never allow it to get ahead of your decisions. Sometimes, it is nobler to do the ignoble things. It is the spirit of service! [see S – SERVICE]
5. Discretion. Adequately analyzing situations and forming a wise conclusion, judgement or opinion is a good check of a sound follower. Heighten your discretion.
6. Courage. It takes courage to tread the path less travelled. Good followers are embodiment of boldness and courage.
7. Good Work Ethic. Staying up till the job done is an uncommon quality in this day and age. Kick boredom out of your niche. Listen to instructions and powerfully deliver the product!
8. Focus on Service. An excellent follower’s mindset is clung on service. Serving in whatever the capacity is. Service that ultimately empowers and achieves the organisation’s morale and mission respectively.
Next time you hear the label “excellent follower”, don’t treat it like a backhanded compliment. Aspire to be that person with such beautiful heart – excellently interpreting the vision of the house and the mandate of the arrowhead, and helping your direct subordinates and others run with the same motive.
Excerpt from Femi TIAMIYU's A-Z OF CAMPUS LEADERSHIP {F - Followership} ~ a leadership compilation to help campus leaders navigate, nurture and unleash their leadership. Pre- Orders can be made by sending an email to livelystoneng@gmail.com, Whatsapp/call 08052475173 or follow @femitiamiyu on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter.
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